Homa24

I think that is a great point, we all assume losing the weight will change our bodies and it does of course but then you notice areas you want to work on. And there are always new goals, too. :)

My initial goal was arbitrary, I suppose. I did look up the BMI range for my height (5'6" or so), age & gender (29/f) and realized 134 was in the middle and would mean 30 lbs. "30 lbs. before I turn 30" had a nice ring to it! Now, 18 lbs. down I know I want to hit 130 instead and see how I feel. I actually feel flabbier…

I am sure you are going to rock these 30 days! This is the first diet approach that has worked for me. :)

So glad it went well and you felt good about yourself!!

Also read John Bingham's Marathoning for Mortals and No Need for Speed - great reads and he advocates a mix of running and walking for half and full marathons - better that than being injured so his books are supportive reads!

Very odd that your Director would talk to you about her reports - that just adds to the hostile work environment. It is the Director's job to acknowledge her report and let her know you've cleared your Wednesday schedule with the appropriate procedure. It is no fun feeling like someone is watching and judging you all the…

Rock on!!! Have you considered a training plan like Couch to 5k? I went from not being able to jog/run for even 30 seconds without feeling winded to running half an hour non-stop. I just posted my experience with the program to my blog if you want links to the training schedule, just three runs per week for nine weeks and…

We are our own worst critics. I guarantee you that you don't look at people and notice the things you notice about yourself in a dress. Just have fun and get some dancing in at the wedding for a bit of cardio!

Are you cross training? Also, is there a local running group you can join? Mix things up if you can, I got to run in the mountains last week with ladies from my running group and though they were faster than me when I got to the end of the 5.3 miles it felt fantastic to have them cheering me on! If you want to increase…

I run at 5am to beat the heat, I also can't run if I've eaten so the mornings are best for me!

I'm 5'5", doing the wait and see approach as well, started 164, now 154, shooting for 130 but I just read a thread where people taller than me were aiming for 120(!) so it is hard to know. See how you feel when you reach your goal! Also, I was probably 130 in middle school so I have no concept of my goal weight on my adult…

Trust me, vegan baking turns out great! I can't use soy, wheat, milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, sesame, or oats to name a few and I make all kinds of food. That said, the allergies of my kids forced me to cook but there are also ready made options to make things easier. Have you tried quinoa? Great source of protein and easy…

I blog about food allergies (ohmahdeehness.wordpress.com), what foods were your favorites? I can give you my best recipe links. Have you tried Daiya shreds? They are versatile and melt like cheese.

Don't let the turkeys get you down. My mom used to say "do they eat at your table?" about bullies, etc. and I'd say no and I think she meant that they don't matter like friends or family. That is what this person was doing, bullying you. Maybe it made them feel good in a twisted way but they had no right to make you feel…

Couch to 5k has been life changing for me. I just program the training into the RunKeeper app which is free and which I prefer over the official C25k app. The schedule is here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml I am on week 8 though I did do week 4 twice because I was struggling with the last run. On Friday…

Also, did you know you can add nursing in your food diary? It will show up as negative calories and you can select different options based on frequency. I haven't used it because I am trying to wean my son (he'll be 2 next month) but since your son is still nursing a couple times you could factor that in and eat those lost…

Table salt makes sense since it contains corn. Label laws in the US do not help matters at all - you may think you're avoiding something and then there's really cross contamination. This is my "what we eat" recipe page, many of them are free of the allergens you are mentioning:…

I am a food allergy mom, I had to cut allergens from my diet so that my daughter would stop having horrible eczema from nursing. Two and a half years later I still eat soy, wheat, milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, sesame, oat, etc. free. I'm also vegetarian to start so food restrictions are not new to me. Anyway, I have done…

I'm still nursing as well, starting from a similar point as you with a similar goal. Feel free to add me if you'd like! I think losing quickly at first is pretty normal, I set my MFP to "maintain" at first just to get a feeling for what I was eating calorie-wise. I lost anyway with exercise and the night nursing. I then…

Amazing hard work - congratulations!!!

I'm doing Week 6 Run 3 tomorrow, I did repeat Week 4 all the way through because I was struggling but once I got over that I've been fine. Ran my first 5k June 2nd but my goal 5k is in October. I've lost 8 lbs. in 60 days doing calorie counting, Couch to 5k, and I am a week into 30 Day Shred. I think that even more…

Congrats! Commented on your blog. :)

Losing 30 is my initial goal, go you for losing 35! Maybe tell a few people...it isn't bragging, it is a big life update! Then they'll know you're comfortable talking about it, like others have said, people might just want to be polite.

Interesting about reaching the steady state, I know this has limited implication but it got me thinking about pregnancy weight coming off really fast even if not all of it went to the baby. It also helps explain how people can yo-yo with their weight in just a year even if they've lost a lot of weight. Have to keep my mind…

That is awesome, congrats on a great time!

I haven't eaten wheat since Jan. 2010 when my daughter was diagnosed with numerous food allergies that included wheat. I've only read an excerpt of the book but I lost weight then even though I was pregnant with my son at the time. I think food is changing these days...maybe cut wheat for 3 weeks and see how you feel? I…

I've been an ethical vegetarian almost 8 years, the last two I've actually been vegan. It does not help with weight loss per se because you xan still be eating junk food and be veg. That said, a plant based diet can work wonders for health and the planet. There are great recipe sites like peasandthankyou.com if you want to…

I'm 5'5", I am about 161 now & a size 14 or so. I would love to see what I am capable of, I am thinking 130 is attainable...? I have no experience with this at all so these responses are fascinating.

Vegetarian since '04, vegan due to my daughter's allergies that include milk and egg since 2010.

I'll second quinoa, it is good hot or cold and in salads. It is a complete protein which is good too. I like to squeeze fresh lemon juice onto it along with some pepper. Just steamed artichockes the other day and they took time to eat which made it an interesting change. Plus: they're in season right now!